When you face the darkness
by Willofhounds
Summary: Requested by Maximum of Steam. First in a series of background stories of Rainbow Seige Six operators. This is Caveira's story. No flames. Don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Requested by Maximum of Steam. Thank you for the challenge.

Taina's POV

Ever since her father was killed in action her family had barely been able to scape by. Her older brothers had to work and stop their schooling to help them survive. Their mother barely made anything at the local factory. So when she turned fifteen she began to steal to help her family get by.

A local gang known simply as the Desvía took her in. Unlike most gangs this group allowed members to come and go as they pleased. A portion of everyone's steals were given to the group. It was a small price to pay for the training she received.

When she first started stealing to help her family, she spent more time running from those she tried to steal from. More than once she had been beaten after thet caught her. It was all for just petty cash. She had no reliable skills for a team to pick her up. Neither was she important enough to be taken under by one of the other's wing. It was a cutthroat world. Only the strong survived.

It was the end of September when she painfully limped back to hideout. The Desvía guards just nodded to her as she walked past. Her comings and goings were fairly regular. They were used to seeing her around.

An unfamiliar dark haired boy stood in the entrance way. He wore a grey t-shirt and black cargo pants with a black jacket over that. His eyes were piercing blue that seemed to burrow into ones soul.

The doors to meet with the leaders was closed. He likely was waiting to talk to them. Since she knew most of the regulars she assumed he was a new guy. Something caught her eye as she went to pass him. The tell tell bulge of a gun pressed to his right side.

It was difficult even on the black market for someone like them to get a firearm. She was both curious and cautious of the newcomer. Something told her that he was someone to keep an eye on. Besides the fact that he had a firearm.

Before she could ask the doors opened. The guards ushered her inside. Their eyes bugged out when they saw the boy next to her. Whoever this guy was he must be important.

When they entered the meeting room all the leaders were sitting quietly conversing with each other. They saw her first and nodded in greeting. When their eyes met the young man's the leaders gained their feet. Excitement sparkled behind their eyes.

The head of the council of leaders greeted warmly," It is good to see you again, Sombra."

Sombra? This was the best thief in all of Desvía. He looked barely older than her.

Even as she tried to put the facts together part of her knew it was true. This boy had an air of danger about him. Taina moved away from the boy with piercing blue eyes.

Sombra said calmly," You need better guards. They didn't notice i was there until I moved."

His eyes turned to her contemplatively as he continued," On the other hand she did. What's your name kid?"

She said growling," Taina Pereira. I am not a kid asshole."

Sombra's lips twitched with amusement. He said to the leaders," Oh I like her. Where did you find her?"

The head said rolling his eyes," You would like her, Sombra. I'm surprised she was able to see you. Especially with how you hide and she... Well she isn't much of a thief."

Sombra have her another assessing look. He said after a moment," She has potential, señors. She's not much now but she could be."

What? Her temper was flaring now. They were talking about her like she wasn't even there.

She said angrily," Stop talking about me like I'm not here. I am a person after all. Here is your cut of my pull today."

She threw them their cut of what she had made. It wasn't much. They were right. She didn't have what it took to be a thief. She was neither fast enough or quiet enough.

Sombra said calmly," Wait for me outside. I would like to talk to you."

She gave him a glare but once she left the room she stayed in the shadows by the door. While she didn't like following orders from someone that she didn't know. Still there was something different about Sombra.

She didn't have to wait long. About twenty minutes after she left the room the doors opened. Sombra gave a quick glance around the room. His eyes quickly landed on her in her hiding spot. He motioned for her to follow him outside.

When they went outside dusk had turned into full night. In the city she couldn't see the stars like she could when she was younger. She honestly missed being able to look up into the sky to see the stars. Ever since her father died though it hadn't been possible.

Sombra said without looking at her," I apologize for my rudeness earlier. It's not often I see someone with such potential. Most people here are stubborn bastards. You're different."

She asked unsure of what he meant," How can you tell?"

Another quirk of his lips as he said," Most people assume especially in Desvía that they are top of dogs. When in fact they are just bugs. When you saw me you kept a wary eye on me until you find out who I was. Even then you were cautious."

"Well you were suspicious. I've been at this for a little while but i have never seen you before," She said.

A soft chuckle came from the boy as he replied," I come and go as i please. It's part of being a Desvía but I'm one of the best thieves in the whole gang. That's why they are excited to see me. Every time I appear there's a big score not long after. This time though I'm looking to teach someone. I was thinking that someone could be you."

Her jaw dropped. Sombra wanted to teach her? But she had no skills. Even the younger thieves said so. At best she could bring in a hundred or so in a month.

He said as if reading her thoughts," Most of the council doesn't believe you are worth my time. I'm sure most of the members would agree. Yet at one time i was the same way. Like my teacher before me I'm willing to give you the same chance he gave me. It's up to you whether or not you will take it."

 **A/N Brief translations for certain words of the chapter.**

 **Sombra means Shadow in Spanish**

 **Desvìa means Stray in Spanish**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thank you for your review and the support.

Maximus: glad you enjoyed the chapter. I will definitely take your ideas into account for future chapters.

If your going to flame know that you will be blocked and removed. I don't allow flames into my reviews. If you constructive critism it is appreciated.

Taina's POV

Two weeks. She had been training with Sombra for two weeks. If one could call it that. All he had her doing for two weeks was running. It was beginning to get frustrating. She couldn't keep this up. She had to make money again.

As she finished her last lap around the gym she came up alongside Sombra. The older boy barely glanced at her before returning to his book.

She asked trying to control her temper," Will I ever do anything besides running? I thought you were supposed to be training me."

He replied not looking at her," I am training you. You are not fast enough to complete the training yet. Continue running."

She growled but did as she was told. What kind of training did he want her to complete? This was getting old and fast.

She ran until eight that evening. When she finished was done she didn't even say anything to Sombra. If he cared she wouldn't be spending all her time running.

Ignoring him she hit the showers that were off to the side of the gym. A warm shower loosened the muscles that were tight. After she was done she changed into her clean sweatshirt and pants.

When she came out of the changing rooms Sombra was there. His book was on the ground next to him.

He said," Let's go get something to eat."

She barely glanced at him before replying," I don't have enough money to spare on extra food. Maybe if I had been out collecting money then i could. Instead I have done nothing but running."

He said with a faint smile," Dinner is on me. It's the least I can do l."

Suspicion filled her. No one did something for nothing. What did he want in exchange?

Ignoring her suspicion filled eyes he led her through the building and out into the city. He led her to a small hamburger stand. One that the owner had given her left over food before. The old man that owned it looked after a bunch of the street rats.

When they approached his eyes lit up happily as he said," Welcome back, I hope you are well Sombra."

The dark haired boy said with a faint smile," Sí, abuelo. This is my student. I was hoping you could provide us with some dinner."

The old man considered her. It didn't take long for recognition to flare in the grey eyes. He said with a smile," Of course, Sombra. It's good to see that she has someone to look after her."

She growled but both of them ignored her. If there was one thing she hated more than anything else it was people talking about her like she wasn't there. Like she was some kind of puppet to be led on strings.

The old man left for a moment and came back with a bag. He handed it to Sombra before going back to his stand. Without saying goodbye they left heading out of town.

After ten minutes of leaving the town and hiking up a hill they reached the top of a large hill. It was the one that overlooked their entire town. Sombra took a seat on the every edge of the hill. His legs swung off it and his eyes distant. Almost like he was reliving an old memory.

After a brief hesitation she sat next to him. He held out the bag with a knowing look. Even as suspicious as she was she was hungry. So she took a burger out of the bag.

It had mustard and ketchup on it with all the vegetables. She might not enjoy vegetables but she knew that she needed them. Her body was malnourished enough and she couldn't afford to be picky.

About half way through the burger she realized it was probably the best she had in a long time. It was warm and filling. Part of her grieved for the father she she had never really known. She vaguely remembered a time where they always had plenty of food. Now it was just a struggle to survive.

Sombra said as if sensing her thoughts," Hes not really my grandfather. He was my mentor when I first became a thief. I was probably no older than seven. Like you I wasn't very good or even very fast. So just like how I am doing for you he made me run. Constantly I had to run to build up both stamina and speed. If we cannot run we will get caught and go to juvenile detention. It is not a place someone like us wants to be."

So that's why he had her running all day for the last two weeks. It was to build her speed up. From what he said she was lucky as it was not to end up in jail.

To her surprise he continued," I will teach you more starting tomorrow. You will be running every morning and evening but it won't be all you're doing. Sound fair?"

She nodded her acceptance and took another bite of her burger. A part of her realized that this had been a test. Not only if she would keep with him but if she could follow orders. It had been a test of trust and loyalty. One it seemed she had passed since he was finally going to train her.

She said," If i didn't find it fair I would likely end up in jail. I don't have the skills that you do. Or that most of the others have."

"Skills come with talent and time. You have the potential to be great. You just needed someone who could cultivate them."

Thats where he came in. He would cultivate and refine her potential. Make her into one of the best thieves in the gang.

He continued after a moment," Day after tomorrow I'll send you back out into the streets. You will take what you learned and bring back at least 200. Until you can do that i won't teach you anything else."

200?! I'm one day? She was lucky to get that in a week!

Yet there was something in his eyes. A sense of certainty that she could do it. Never had someone looked at her like that before. Once again she nodded her acceptance. Hopefully she could do it.

The next morning found her finishing her morning run in record time. When she stopped by Sombra he had already put his book down. A strange looking jacket with what appeared to be bells on it was hung up.

He pulled out his wallet and said," The goal of this exercise is to take the wallet oit of the pocket without jingling the jacket. Use only your index and middle finger."

With that he placed it into the jacket. The jacket in question didn't make even a hint of a sound. It was like it had been in there the entire time. In that moment she also realized her mistake. She had always used her thumb and index finger. That was how she was always caught.

She walked over to it doing just as she had seen him do she only used her index and middle finger. Lightly the bells jingled as she began to lift the wallet.

Sombra said with a knowing smile," Put it back and try again."

So she dropped it and stepped back with a frown. Once all the noise stopped she tried again. It was the same result. All Sombra did though was turn back to his book.

For the next hour she tried over and over again. It all ended with the same results. The bells jingling and her teacher ignoring her. After her last attempt she stepped back to think.

So far she had tried at every angle she could think of with her fingers vertical. It was how she had seen every other thief in the gang pick pocket. They were mostly successful in their attempts. Yet when she tried she wasn't.

Then again if Sombra wanted every other thief he would have chosen someone else. Someone more talented. He chose her for a reason. Now she had to think about how he had done it.

Sombra's POV

Over the last two weeks he had watched Laina grow. After the first week he knew he made the right choice in choosing her as his successor. She could follow orders as quick as any teacher would want.

More importantly though she could think for herself. During the second week he see the defiance. She wanted to learn more than just how to run non-stop for hours.

Right before she would have hit her breaking point he did what his teacher had done. Sombra had taken her to his mentor's hamburger stand. It was tradition that when the master had become to old to be a thief he ran the stand. They always gave food to the young and learning thieves of the streets.

That's how he first heard of Laina. She was a thief who while wasn't very good at picking pockets had the talent for silent movements. Something born into her blood not taught.

So he had decided to test her in the hall of Desvía. At first he had thought she wouldn't notice him. Few did. Yet she surprised him immensely.

She had not only seen him when she walked in but noticed his firearm. Never had someone new noticed that he was carrying a firearm. That was what made him decide to take her on as a student. Someone like that could not be passed up.

Now he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She had tried every angle to get that wallet. The problem was she was thinking like a normal thief. Not the way he wanted her to think.

A shadow wasn't noticed even subconsciously. That meant unseen and unheard. Not a sound. Not a word. He frowned when she stepped back. Was she giving up? It had barely been an hour.

When she approached the jacket this time though there was something different. He strained his ears to try and pick up her footsteps. Nothing. A tug at the corner of his lips happened. It was happening. As silent as a shadow.

This time as she lifted the wallet the bells didn't even twitch. He was right about her. Not only did she have the potential. She had the mind to pick things up quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Thank you for your support and the reviews.

Maximum: As usual thank you for your support. I'm glad I did the silent step right. Interesting things are to come. Merry Christmas little brother.

Guest: Thanks for the review. Of course ill continue.

Reminder if you try to flame you will be blocked and removed.

Taina's POV

Silently just like she had done in training she lifted the man in front of her wallet. He continued ahead of her not even noticing that his wallet was gone. Stuffing it into her jacket she continued down the street.

Her eyes roamed over each and every person she passed. Looking for any sign of recognition. She was also checking their attire. The wealthier they looked the closer she watched. They would be the best marks to grab.

She spied her next mark. He was a tall man talking on his cellphone. He wore an expensive looking suit. She got up behind him silently and lifted his wallet. As casually as she could she went out of the crowd and down into an alley.

When she was sure she was alone she pulled out the wallets she had collected. Her first five only had 50 bucks in them. The second to last wallet she picked up hand a hundred in it. The final wallet had 150.

It had the required amount and then some. Sombra would be pleased with her. A faint smile appeared on her face at the thought.

Sombra for the first time had praised her when she had been able to pick the pocket without a sound. She had been surprised at the success. That had been much easier than she thought. Yet she knew it was something most wouldn't think about.

That's what made her different from the other thieves. She thought about why she did each movement. They all had to be precise and with a purpose or it could get her killed.

Shaking her head she went to the hideout. As she arrived to the outside of the building her attention was drawn to the too still shadows.

Most people wouldn't understand what that meant. Shadows were ever shifting with changes in light and movements. If they were that still it meant someone was standing in them. On the streets it could mean the difference between life and death for one not to notice.

A familiar voice called out," It's just me. Good instincts."

She said folding her arms," It's not that hard, Sombra. Shadows move a certain way. When they don't move then someone is hiding in them."

Sombra moved to where she could see him. Not just where he was.

He asked," How did you do?"

She said with a grin," I got three hundred today. Thank you, Sombra."

Sombra's lips twitched and for a moment she thought she saw a half smile. As quick as it had come it was gone. From what she had seen it was his way of showing his approval. It didn't happen very often but when it did she was happy. Few people ever showed approval to her. She soaked it up like a sponge when someone showed approval.

He tossed her a pouch as they entered the hideout. When she opened it she noticed that they were a beginner's picklocks.

He said not looking at her," We will start on those tomorrow. After that we will move onto weaponry. If you truly want to get your family out of poverty you can't stay only as a pickpocket. You will have to learn new skills. Once they are up to par I will take you on jobs with me."

She fingered the picks. They might have only been a beginner set but they were still made of good quality.

She said," Thank you, Sombra."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. They were done for the day it seemed. She turned to go home instead of spending the night at the hideout then stopped.

She could feel his eyes on her as she turned back to face him. She whispered almost too quiet to be heard," Thank you."

A fierce blush rose on her face as she turned back around and took off. She was embarrassed by her blush. Sombra was older than her and her teacher. She didn't want this to be awkward between them. Especially if it messed up him teaching her. She had to learn these skills and quickly.

Sombra's POV

He watched Pereira leave in shock. That wasn't something he had been expexting. Sure an occasional thank you would be nice when teaching. It didn't happen very often. Many of them didn't have manners himself included. It was just impractical for thieves.

He expected her to keep walking when he dismissed her. What he didn't expect was for Pereirato to turn and look at him. Her expression was so unexpectedly open and honest.

He had to strain to hear her as she whispered," Thank you."

He caught a glimpse of a deep blush as she ran off. Surprise and confusion filled him. She was way too young for him. At most Pereira was 15. He would turn 19 in a few weeks.

Still she had thanked him for his help and for giving her the lockpicks. A faint smile twitched at his lips. She was definitely different from anyone he had ever met. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Still this would be a true test of her natural born talents. If she couldn't learn to pick a lock then she wouldn't be much use as a thief. Maybe as an assassin. He had a few contacts in the darker side of their business. It would only be used as a last resort.

A shudder went him the assassin groups were not ones you went willing to. Unless of course you had no other option. The ones that went there either never came back or if they did the person was never the same. He remembered the dead look in some of their eyes. It was like the life had been sucked out of them. He would never wish that upon anyone.

Shaking his head he went into the building. For the first time in a long time he would stay in his room.


	4. chapter 4

Taina's POV

She ducked under a kick meant for her head. For her part she tried to tackle her opponent around the waist. Two hands hit her on top of the head sending her crashing to the ground.

The next moment she swung her foot around catching him behind the knee. This sent her older opponent crashing down beside her. In the next moment she was on top of him pinning him to the ground.

They were both breathing hard but she said confidently," Yield."

In the next moment their positions were switched and a hard forearm was across her throat. Sombra's piercing blue eyes met her green ones. After a moment he released her throat and got off her. He held out his hand expectantly. Without hesitation she took it.

Sombra said walking over to their water bottles," You are improving. To be honest I'm surprised at how well you have taken to hand to hand combat. Especially with using an opponents weaknesses against them. Too many people wouldn't use them to their advantage because it's unsporting. I'm glad you don't see it that way. It's much harder to break those habits and to make an effective fighter out of someone like that."

Coldly she replied," Weakness will be exploited no matter where you go. If someone doesn't know that they won't last long out here."

Sombra gave her a knowing smile as he said," Indeed. You are still lacking in picklocking. I want you to spend the rest of today working on that. You need to be able to pick any lock in under a minute. Otherwise you are a liability."

She grumbled under her breath but accepted her new orders. Ever since joining up with Sombra she had spent more time at the hideout than ever. She almost never went home anymore. If she did it was to drop off the money she had made.

Sombra had set up a door in his quarters for her to practice on. He would time her and occasionally correct her on her technique. Little else was spoken between them.

Lockpicking was a trick that took a lot of concentration. One thing she was not proficient in was maintaining concentration on daunting tasks like this. Sombra seemed hell bent on teaching her paitence on top of every thing else.

Taking a deep breath she walked up to where Sombra's quarters were. It had become normal for her to be in the building in all manner of times. So when she passed other thieves they no longer gave her funny looks. It had quickly spread that Sombra had taken an apprentice.

When they found out it was her many had expressed concerns. To her surprise her mentor brushed off all concerns. More than once he gave his complete confidence that she would make a good thief.

Shaking her head of the distracting thoughts she focused on the lock in front of her. Unsurprisingly Sombra had changed the locks again. Every few days he would change the lock so that she wouldn't get too comfortable with it. To keep her on her toes and to expect the unexpected.

The lock was a standard deadbolt. If one had power tools they could remove it and get into a place easily. The only issue with that would be the noise. That was the main reason why picks were a first choice for thieves. Unless the target was in a construction area.

Once her examination of the lock was done she nodded to Sombra. He clicked his stopwatch. The time started.

With her picks in hand she played with the tumblers. Listening to each sound the made. When she heard each drop she moved onto the next one. She had to work quickly and accurately otherwise she wouldn't pass. It would also leave marks on the lock. That would act as proof that someone had been there. The goal was to leave as little evidence as possible. While going as fast as she could.

Finally the lock turned and she called out," Time."

Sombra's calm voice said," Well done. 50 seconds."

Pride could be heard in his voice. For the first time she was able to pick the lock in under 1 minute. As she gained her feet he bent to examine the lock. It had a few scuff marks but it wasn't obvious tamper marks.

He said nodding," Nicely done. The scuff marks could be attributed to age of the lock. That would make your mark believe that nothing is wrong. Continue working on your time so that way your skills don't fade. When a job comes up we will test your skills truly. Be ready to go at any time."

She nodded. Excitement filled her chest. Her first job would be soon. It would be the real test on whether or not she was worth Sombra's time. All she wanted to do was prove her worth. That she was not a waste of time or space. A thought came to her.

She asked as he was about to leave," Want to go another round in hand to hand?"

It was still a weakness of hers. She wasn't used to fighting beyond a scuffle between thieves. It was always the lower ranks without weapons so she got by. On a job it would no longer be as such. She had to be prepared.

He cocked his head to the side as he asked," You sure? We have been hitting the hand to hand pretty hard."

She nodded. For a moment he just watched her before nodding. Without another word they went back to the big room. It was always empty when they needed it. Part of her wondered how Sombra had that much pull. Another part knew that she honestly didn't want to know.

They stood opposite of each other. Their gazes assessing the other's stance for weakness.

Something she had noticed was that Sombra had a very rigid fighting style. It was that of one who had been formally trained. Her style was the complete opposite. It was fluid and allowing for changes as needed.

Both styles had their weaknesses but they fit with their personalities. Without a word they began again.

Sombra made the first move. He struck with a right jab aimed to her jaw. She blocked it easily and countered with a right cross. Her stance was opposite of his.

Sombra had his right foot forward keeping his weight forward. If one could get to the back leg they could throw his balance off. That was a difficult task to do. He was guarded and not easily fooled.

Her stance was the exact opposite. Her left foot led but her weight was centered. This allowed for easy movement and guarding of her core.

Sombra easily blocked her punch before responding once again in kind. It seemed like this would be a long training session of just testing defenses.


End file.
